Daron Larson Talks About How Being More Mindful Can Make You a Better Runner

Today I am running a few relaxing miles with an athlete that has devoted his life to unlocking mental potential.

Daron Larson

Daron has been running for most of his life. To date, he has completed 4 marathons and numerous shorter races.

However, Daron’s last marathon took a turn for the worse after a dislocated shoulder at Mile 2 prevented him from finishing the race.

Daron is a mindfulness coach, and if you recognize his name, you might have seen him in his recent TEDx Talk.

Mindfulness or Meditation?

Meditation is about carving out time to do any sort of activity to engage in deep thought.

Mindfulness, as defined by Daron, is the ability to observe your sensations in real time.

Sensations, as in your senses:

• See
• Hear
• Smell
• Touch
• Taste

Daron teaches people to move away from what specific interactions mean and to focus more on the sense you’re experiencing in the moment.

Quote from Daron Larson’s TEDx Talk

Look at the world the way a child does. Be absolutely fascinated with the thing you are feeling, like the sun on your arm and the wind on your face.

The goal is to turn off your “autopilot” and recognize the things around you right now.

What’s the Purpose?

When we are in an autopilot mode, we lose focus on our lives.

We begin to look at our lives as a story with a constant problem. When we start to become mindful, we start to enjoy the little things in the world.

We accept the idea that not every problem will have an immediate solution. And that can be very liberating.

Daron explains that practicing mindfulness is like training your body to be okay with discomfort.

And then to keep going.

Understanding your Edges

Daron believes that your body will tell you that it’s uncomfortable. It then becomes your job to address the degree of discomfort.

Mindfulness can be a way to help a runner differentiate between experiencing normal aches and pains or if you are truly injured.

Mindfulness isn’t a “Jedi mind trick”.

Don’t ignore something serious, but learn to determine if what you’re feeling in the moment is just your body saying it wants to stop.

Daron Larson on the TedX Stage

Turning the Tables

Near the end of the episode, we switched things up and Daron then took a look into my mindfulness practice.

Daron claims that consistency is one of the most important things to an effective mindfulness practice.

We talk about how mindfulness could help me with my running, and Daron offers some tips to help me improve my mental endurance.

Will being more mindful runner help you be a better runner? Daron Larson says it will. #runchat Click To Tweet

If you would like to follow Daron on social media, check him out on Twitter, Instagram and, on his website.

Mentioned In this Episode

• Daron’s Book List
• Daron’s Mindfulness TEDx Talk 
• Mind Your Life by Meg Salter
• Unified Mindfulness

As Always, I’d Love to Know What Stood Out to You From this Episode! Let Me Know Your Takeaway in the Comments Below!

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